Masteries

Offense:
21

Defense:
9

Utility:
0

Introduction

credit: original pic from nakaowolf

Hi guys, this is my Semi-support Soraka guide! I don't know if you come here by mistake or accident (lol), but feel free to criticize me. I know I'm not the best Soraka player. Hell, I'm not even lvl 30 yet. This is just how I play Soraka. If you do not want to read this guide because I'm not a ranked player (or experienced player), feel free to close this window. And if you feel this guide sucks, just click the down-vote button. I don't mind that, lol. This is just how I play her. There's still a room for improvements. A lot.

More contents and pictures soon!

P.S. I've added my personal AP Soraka here. I haven't included the build explanation in this guide yet. If you have any question, just ask me!

And again .. Welcome to my guide :: Semi-support Soraka :: ~Wish upon the Star~

Pros / Cons

Pros+ Great support throughout the game+ Walking mana tank for your teammates+ Clear creep waves faster than some support, with Starcall+ Reduce your opponent(s) magic resistance by 12 every time Starcallland (max 120)+ Can heal across the map (and receive assist exp/gold for that)+ Able to withstand to some degree, only if you build exactly as my build

Cons- Squishy, until you buy those items- Astral Blessinghas a very long cooldown (12s for max CDR)- Cannot refill your own mana- Low damage output throughout the game- No escape mechanism aside from Flash

Quintessence: Greater Quintessence of Gold
You will need this if you are going to babysit your carry by let him/her get as many last hits as possible. You will be be the one who buy most Sight Ward in your team as well. This will cover those cost, hopefully.

And please remember that you are support. It's your duty to buy Sight Ward. We will cover where we will place our ward in later chapter. As for Oracle's Elixir, buy it if your jungler won't buy one.

Skill Sequence

Ability Sequence

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

I take Starcall first for harassment. At level 1, 60 damage with 2.5s cooldown is no joke. Get Astral Blessing at level 2, and if your carry get harassed severely, get Astral Blessing at level 3 instead of Starcall. DO NOT use Astral Blessing when it is level 1 if it is not absolute necessary. This skill eat a lot of mana, and you need it to preserve your mana for your Starcall.

Your first priority is max Astral Blessing first. Use Astral Blessing when your carry crash with your opponents, and s/he will love you! Armor +105 is A LOT for early to mid game. As for Infuse, leave it at level 2. Use it whenever the cooldown is up. Unless your teammate do not spam every skill at every creeps, it will be enough.

Summoner Spells

:: Recommend ::

Clairvoyance is crucial for map awareness. You can use it to check jungle, dragon, baron, gang, etc. You can turn ganger into the one being ganged. With mastery, it has 60s cooldown and 6s bird eye view over that area. You can use this spell to check the area ahead of you where you want to go to place your Sight Ward as well, for your own safety.

Flash has universal uses. Flee, chase, juke, you name it. Soraka must have at least one Summoner spell that can be use for her survival since she has no skill that can be used for escape. Ghost is appealing, but Flash win by wide margin. Correct me if I'm wrong.

:: Optional ::

Heal is priceless in team fight. It can turn tide of battle if use correctly. Pop this after you use Astral Blessing and Wish, not before them. But you have to sacrifice Clairvoyance for this, which means you lower map awareness for your team. Unless you are experienced player who can predict generally where your opponent will be, I do not recommend it.

Exhaust is another great summoner spell. You can turn opponent AD player into a baby with a toy hammer. If you play Soraka as a roamer after lvl 9 or so, you are welcome to try and take this summoner spell. And like Heal, it's not recommend for inexperienced player.

Game Play

:: Early Game ::

If your team decide not to counter jungle early game, go to bottom lane with your carry. You can use Clairvoyance to check the bush when your creeps start to walk pass it. If there's an opponent hoping to juke you in the bush, your creep will walk towards him/her instead.

Keep harassing your opponent with you auto-attack and Starcall. Your Starcall has 530 range, which is a little shorter than your auto-attack (550). It is wise if you know the exact range for your skills. There's no point if you successfully land 2 Starcall and got nuked to death! You have to be able to estimate your opponent's skill range if you want to harass them like a boss!! And don't forget to check your opponent's item as well. Boots can close the gap they need to land their skills on you.

On approximately 4 minutes mark, place your Sight Ward in the first bush you see in the on the river path. Why at 4? That is the time jungler usually finish their jungle trip and start his/her first gang.

Use Astral Blessing when your carry is in a pinch. I recommend not to use Astral Blessing at lvl 1 since it restore only 70 health ... use it only if it's the only way for your carry to survive!

:: Middle Game ::

You should start to place your Sight Ward at both side of the river. In front of Dragon and Baron are good spots. If you suspect that there might be an ambush along the way, do not hesitate to use your Clairvoyance to survey the path. See if any lane need your assistance and go there. Spam your Starcall whenever there's a fight. It will lower their Magic Resist every time it hits by 9 point for lv2 Starcall (usually take 4-5 times to shred all of their MR at this point of game)

Buy Oracle's Elixir if your jungler won't buy it (or your team has no jungler for some reason). You will be the one who go here and there placing Sight Ward, it's bound to encounter their wards along the way.

And if you desperately need 50 gold or a bit more than that amount, when you see your teammate(s) about to kill your opponent(s) and you won't reach there in time. Pop your Wish and, voila! You score an assist, gold, and experiences! .. although your team might call you 're*ard' by doing so.

Use Astral Blessing on your carry in team fight like always, and Wish whenever you see lots of your teammates' health have gone. DO NOT wait until one of your teammate is in a critical condition and then use Wish. Better to heal them to full health than let him die because you cannot use Wish in time.

There's some special case where you want to delay using Infuse. That cases come from heroes like Nunu, Katarina, Fiddlesticks, and Malzahar. Just wait until they start using their ultimate skills .. aaaannnd it's gone.

Warding

Yes, making your opponents feel like this is your responsibility!

Sight Ward :: Early Game Warding :: Sight Ward

At 4 minutes mark, place your Sight Ward at Yellow to prevent gang from jungler. If you are from Blue and they push you very hard, place your Sight Ward at Orange, vise versa if you're from Purple and you have to go top. If your opponent make use of bush, do not hesitate to ward those Red.

Sight Ward :: Mid Game Warding :: Sight Ward

Red position ward takes priority! Although it's tough to kill Baron at this phase of game, it's possible. Dragon is more like to target by both team. By having Sight Ward will notify you in many ways. Gang? I see them coming. Dragon? Be on my way. Reinforcement has arrived? Time to counter attack.

Even so, Orange spot is good as well. It covers less vision, but it's quite safe to place your Sight Ward there (usually place there when you want to push mid during mid phase).

As for Purple, its purpose is to protect your jungler if place in your own forest, and counter-jungle if place in your opponent's forest. Using Clairvoyance before attempt going to your opponent's is recommend.

Sight Ward :: Push Warding :: Sight Ward

Usually you'll push at late game, but there're special cases when it's only 20 mins but we've already reach this phase. To ensure our victory, place your Sight Ward like this.

Push Bottom - If you're Blue, place your wards at Orange and Yellow. If you're Purple, place your ward at Black.

Push Top - If you're Blue, place your ward at Black. If you're Purple, place your wards at Orange and Yellow.

Push Middle - Place your wards at Blue and Purple

DO NOT forget to place your Sight Ward at Red. You might get into trouble if they manage to snatch Baron buff.

And whenever you're going into their base, you can ward Green for extra vision. Not entirely necessary though.

Summary

Soraka is one of the hero that easy to play, but hard master. You're supporter. You should know when to engage, when to retreat, how to help your friends from the depth of hell, how to position yourselves in team fight, etc.

As for my build, your main role in team fight is to shred their Magic Resistance to pieces with Starcall, and live to tell the tales. Your Astral Blessing at late game will not restore health as much as those AP build Soraka so its main use is that sudden surge of additional 105 armor. With my build, you can stand in the center of combat for quite sometime.

You leave us alone? Be prepare to lose your precious Magic Resist ..
You mess with us? We won't go down easily, and my teammate will be there for you ..

WE.ARE.SORAKA!!

Change Log

2/9/2012
Start this guide! Still no BB Code, no image .. only white wall of text.